Kristopher Case Sanders, M.D.

06/16/2026

How long does a total hip or knee replacement surgery take?

This is another common question for us at CJRS. Of course surgical times may vary based on multiple factors, however the operating room (OR) time for routine joint replacement surgery is very predictable. This predictability is what allows us to determine our daily surgical volume. We aim for a total OR time of less than 1 hour, and the typical surgical time from incision to implants inserted is around 30 minutes. While our goal is not to perform fast surgery, our goal is to perform efficient surgery. We are routinely assessing our surgical steps to eliminate wasteful movements by ALL involved in the procedure. I refer to how pit crews work together and know the exact steps and movements to ensure time is not wasted and each step is efficient, safe and purposeful. After 10,000+ cases of joint replacement experience, we've gone from trying to save minutes to seconds. This is important to you as the patient because the literature shows that patients are at higher risk for infection with surgical times over 100 minutes and there is a 25% increased risk of infection for each 20 minute increase in surgical duration. We routinely inform patients as part of our consenting process the expected surgical time for their case, so the patients know we take OR time and it's association with infection risk and additional anesthesia seriously.

1. Wang Q, Goswami K, Shohat N ...
Longer Operative Time Results in a Higher Rate of Subsequent Periprosthetic Joint Infection in Patients Undergoing Primary Joint Arthroplasty
The Journal of Arthroplasty, 2019; 34, 947-953

2. Ravi B, Jenkinson R, O'Heireamhoin S et al. Surgical duration is associated with an increased risk of periprosthetic infection following total knee arthroplasty: A population-based retrospective cohort study
eClinicalMedicine, 2019; 16, 74-80

06/07/2026

Join our growing team at CJRS! We're hiring a medical assistant and registered nurse to support our practice and our patients. Click the links below to apply:

👉Medical Assistant: https://bit.ly/43RgRvc
👉Registered Nurse: https://bit.ly/4uh8F2c

06/06/2026

Congrats to Megan Sanders, DDS and Premier Family Dental! Megan will provide excellent dental care to the area and she is truly compassionate and caring. Her patients are going to love her.

05/26/2026

We are THANKFUL to be nominated, especially with recently getting started. The future is bright at CJRS. We would appreciate your vote: https://bit.ly/43A68VK

CJRS is up for "Best of the Best" in orthopedics and sports medicine at the Chattanooga Times Free Press! Check out the link below to support the compassionate, patient-centered care you've come to know and trust from Dr. Sanders and Dr. Higgins.

https://bit.ly/43A68VK

05/21/2026

Another great milestone for CJRS, Parkridge and most importantly the Chattanooga region. Yesterday, we used the first Stryker Gold coated total knee replacement in our region. This latest technology offered by Stryker adds to the Mako Smart Robotic platform and is a nickel free option for patients with nickel sensitivity. The best robotic knee replacement system just got better!

05/09/2026

What an amazing staff! They have worked so hard to get us up and going in such a short amount of time. On top of their unbelievable work ethic, they truly care about our patients.

05/06/2026

Awesome addition to CJRS this week! We welcome Ginger Petty and her 25+ years of X-ray experience to the office. Zero chance we could find a better person and technician to lead our X-ray department. We want patients to have the best experience they can have with their hip and knee care and that requires skill and compassion. Ginger suits the CJRS mission perfectly!

04/17/2026

Another common question we get asked at CJRS is "what are my limitations after joint replacement?" Hip and knee replacements do not come with limitations or restrictions. While in the earlier recovery period certain restrictions are suggested but these restrictions are there to allow for your healing. Usually after 6 weeks you are ready to start adding activities back into your life. Our goal for the joint replacement is to get you back to the quality of life you deserve. Whether that is on a pickle ball court, golf course, hiking trail, lake, ski slope or simply going for walks is up to you. So when your hip or knee is keeping you restricted from the life you want, it may be time to ditch those restrictions. At CJRS we are here to help and can help guide you through the options for your joint pain. In the video, see a total knee and total hip in action on the slopes!

04/07/2026

A very common question we get asked is "How many of these have you done?" Certainly a good question and one I would be asking myself as a patient. At CJRS, we combine years of experience and expertise in hip and knee care. Healthy competition has pushed us to continue to refine our surgical skills and efficiency to improve our patients' care, experience and outcomes. We do not like to focus on the total volume of cases as an indication of a good surgeon but rather how we make each patient feel and improving quality of life for as many of our patients as we can. As a result of wanting to help as many patients as we can, we now have over 10,000 cases of combined experience in hip and knee replacement. Simply put, the most mako smart robotic knee replacements and minimally invasive direct anterior hip replacements in the region. We hope CJRS will be that perfect combination of compassion and experience patients are looking for.

Replace the Pain. Restore the Motion.
423-697-8585

03/30/2026

I'm super excited to have my youngest brother Nick Sanders, DDS here in Chattanooga. He is the proud new owner of Chattanooga Endodontics. You have my word, you could not have a more trustworthy, reliable, compassionate endodontist. We welcome his beautiful family Megan Sanders, DDS and daughter as well. We look forward to seeing his family do great things in Chattanooga. He is located at:

Chattanooga Endodontics
4109 Mountain View Ave Ste 400
Chattanooga, TN 37415